Sisters' Stories: How our power girls gym is helping Rosa recover from surgery

Rosa is one of the beneficiaries of our Power Girls Gym, our in-camp facility where women and girls can now exercise in a safe and welcoming environment.

Rosa is 22 and originally from Sinjar, but displacement during the ISIS conflict when she was just a young girl forced her and her family to flee to safety in the mountains. “We were without food, water or any supplies for eight days, and had only the clothes on our backs,” she recalls.

“During the day, we were exposed to the scorching sun, and at night, the weather was extremely cold. We were terrified that ISIS would find us, and lived in constant fear of being killed or harmed. It was a terrible time.”

Rosa and her family ended up living at Essyan camp - where life was far from easy. “It was incredibly challenging,” she adds. “It was the first time I had seen a refugee camp, and I would look at our nylon tent and wonder, ‘How will this protect us from the cold, the heat, or fire?’ But to this day, we continue to live inside it.”

As part of a large family, Rosa’s father could not earn enough to support them, so she had to find work, despite her young age. She began working as a potato farmer, but in 2021 suffered a life-changing injury. “On our way to the camp, our car was involved in an accident, and I broke my leg,” says Rosa. “I had to undergo surgery, and my doctor recommended that I engage in physical activity to regain proper movement in my leg. Unfortunately, there was no gym in the camp, so it was very hard to do this.” 

Earlier this year, thanks to kind support from Care Iraq, we opened our Power Girls Gym in the camp, and it has helped Rosa hugely. “I started going there every day to exercise, and now, I can move my leg again. I'm thankful to the Lotus Flower for providing this facility, which I so desperately needed.”

The gym is well equipped with a treadmill, exercise bike and elliptical trainer, plus weights, kettlebells, benches and mats, resistance bands and step platforms. There also lockers for participants to store their belongings safely.

Many other women and girls who use the gym have never had the opportunity to work out before due to strict patriarchal customs and traditions, but now they can meet friends and exercise together at their own pace. Not only is keeping fit vital for physical health, but also for mental wellbeing, and we’re so glad to be able to provide this essential service…